Thanks for reminder of a pleasant era

"The old order changeth, yielding place to new," in Tennyson's words, and on my desktop.

For next to my monitor there is now a copier. What a luxury! Cut out a clipping (of Burt Constable's May 24 column, for instance), poke it in the machine, and, voila, two clippings.

And yet for gain I know loss. Almost every time I copy something, I'm reminded of the days when getting a copy meant going into downtown Arlington Heights and to the backroom of Drummer and Thumbs Bookstore where Rob Baker had a copy machine where the public could copy Burt Constable for a nickel.

The copier on my desktop is very useful. But the copier at Drummer and Thumb came with mystique.

Rob Baker in that compact book emporium at Dunton and Campbell linked into generations of beloved bookstores that lured readers with the smell of old leather, new ideas and fresh ink.

The service was superb, but it was the possible delight of a new (used paperback) copy of a Wodehouse or a fresh mystery or an unusual card or a visit with Rob Baker or his sharp-witted mother Sheila Baker that made 10 minutes in Drummer and Thumbs an experience.

Drummer and Thumbs was one of the most pleasant chapters in the history of Arlington Heights. I am very grateful to Burt Constable for reminding me.

Margery Frisbie

Arlington Heights